Old Habits
by ck1011
Summary: An alternate ending for Victory of Eagles The beginning is an exerpt from it . You probably should not read this if you havent read Victory of Eagles. Also, I may arbitrarily put an end to some of the characters lives... Thanks for the advice AgiVega
1. The Wave

_"Temeraire!" Laurence was crying out, "Temeraire, can you break it-"._

_ Temeraire darted a look over his shoulder: The wave was still growing. He had never seen anything so vast, and a shudder trembled along the tip of his tail. They had weathered a typhoon once, in the Indian Ocean; a swirling wrath of clouds overhead, so he could not fly, and the _Allegiance_ climbing and climbing each terrible rising wave, only to go rushing down the far side at shattering speed. But this was another thing entirely; almost not of the world. But Lien had made it; she had raised it, with the divine wind, and so surely he might break it._

_ The wave came on after them, swift and dreadfully silent for all its great size, the choppy surf smoothing out before it as minor courtiers yielding way to a passing monarch. With frantic wing beats he pulled away, trying to get a little more room to turn around. The ships were so very near now that he could read their names off their prows, and see men in the rigging, and darting about the deck, little specs scurrying. Temeraire was dripping with the spray, his wings streaming as he flew and flew. He could not gain elevation, he had not time to draw much breath; but he had gained all the ground there was to be gained, and he turned himself around and roared out, with all his very might. _(Victory of Eagles, page 310 of hardcover)

Though Temeraire had punched a hole through the wave, it could not be stopped. Temeraire himself barely survived by folding in his wings and punching through the wave where he had weakened it with the divine wind. The cool wave hit him back hard; hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Temeraire turned around and watched in horror as fourteen ships-of-the-line were methodically destroyed, with the exception of one second class ship-of-the-line which had deployed its storm anchors in time. The ship was intact, but many of the spars were missing and the foremast look badly cracked. Temeraire noted with pride that the ship was the _H.M.S. Temeraire_, his namesake.

"Oh, dear." said Temeraire when he saw the wreckage and crews of the other ships washing on shore near the carnage they had just caused. "Laurence, the navy has many more ships, right…Laurence?" said Temeraire while turning his head around only to see Laurence's carabiner straps fluttering slightly, broken near where the straps would have been connected to the thick leather belt.

The dragon's anxiety increased as he turned his head the other way to speak with Roland.

"Emily, where is Laurence?" asked Temeraire. When she did not reply, Temeraire looked closer and realized she was dangling from her straps, unconscious or perhaps dead.

"Laurence!" Temeraire shouted and looked all across his back only to realize that all of his small crew were missing, save Roland. The dragon franticly scanned the ground and sea looking for Laurence or his crew.

"What the devil are you screaming about!" yelled Admiral Roland as Excidium drew nearer.

"Temeraire, where is Laurence?" Roland asked as she saw Temeraire's empty back. Then, as Excidium rounded to the far side of Temeraire, she saw Emily dangling in her straps and her eyes widened.

"No," whispered Roland as she turned her head away. Temeraire did not even notice her remorse in his anxiety over Laurence. Roland quickly regained her composure and turned back to Temeraire to say, "Temeraire you must hurry and keep the French dragons away from their precious emperor." But even as she spoke it was too late.

Temeraire turned his head despondently to the battle as Napoleon and some of his guard were rescued by a small Chasseur-Vocifére, a group of Pêcheur-Rayés covering his retreat. The remaining French surrendered once Napoleon was out of eye-sight, their beloved emperor safely away. Temeraire looked briefly at the field of slaughtered men among the crumpled bodies of dragons, and the thought of Laurence once again joining the dead made him shiver. He turned his attention once more to calling Laurence's name and searching the water and shore; searching for Laurence, dead or alive.

* * *

"Temeraire, you must remain here in camp and not go gallivanting about in search of Laurence. I would be surprised indeed if he did manage to get himself killed in this and many more battles yet to come," said Roland. She and Perscitia had eventually convinced Temeraire to land and to eat and to sleep. Once Temeraire had landed, young Roland was taken down from his back. Temeraire was only partially concerned for the Rolands. The main part of his attention was still on Laurence. About half an hour later, though Temeraire was not very sure of the amount of time passed, Admiral Roland returned to inform him that Emily was dead and she would be buried alongside honorary graves for Demane and Allen.

The next morning, Wellesley himself came to Temeraire's clearing. He looked up towards the sleek black head and said calmly, "Temeraire, I regret to inform you…" But Temeraire had stopped listening when he saw the ragged, bottle-green coat and the beautiful gold-hilted saber that he had given to Laurence, what seemed like ages ago, in China. Temeraire did not wish to hear Wellesley's words of grief.

"…his sacrifice proved his loyalty…" Wellesley continued, but this was more than enough for Temeraire. He grabbed Laurence's sword and coat and flew off with a ruffled Wellesley in his wake.

After an hour of frantic flying, Temeraire turned northwest with some notion of what to do next. He did not have much with him: his platinum breastplate that he always wore, his golden chain tied securely to his small harness, his talon sheaths that had been brought to him as a means of consolation, and Laurence's coat and saber; these being the most precious to him. Deep inside his chest, he could feel that Laurence was still alive. He just knew.

* * *

The _Temeraire_ was in a sorry shape. Lieutenant Green had been near the stern and had been able to secure himself before the wave struck; unfortunately many others did not have as much success staying alive as he did. He was drenched from his short queue of brown hair to his now ruined stockings.

Lieutenant Green stared at Mr. Baker, the bosun whipping any man he felt was working too slow. Then, to Green's dismay, the bosun looked directly at him. The newly made third lieutenant gathered his wits and asked, "Mr. Baker, would you be so kind as to direct me to Captain Davis?"

"No," replied Baker, and he bluntly added, "He is dead. One of the railings broke off near him when the wave struck. You may find him impaled upon the foremast."

"Good Lord!" gasped Green, his formal tone disappearing completely. "What of the first and second lieutenants?"

Baker looked straight at Green, and without emotion said, "First Lieutenant Richardson was killed by a falling spar and Second Lieutenant Richards was knocked unconscious in the gun deck and drowned before the water had all drained out." Then he added with a smirk, "That makes you the acting captain, sir."

Captain Green looked around the slippery deck, littered with splinters, spars, ragged sailcloth, and the bodies of sailors and marines. He sighed and turned back to his bosun.

"What are the casualties, Mr. Baker?"

The bosun straightened his back and answered, "Half of the men who were on deck were swept away by the wave, and probably two-thirds of the men on the gun decks were drowned or crushed by the guns, sir." Then the bosun added, "I currently have the men left above clearing the deck, and what is left of the gun crews moving their guns back into their tackling."

Captain Green nodded and said, "Very good. As you were." Thus dismissed, the bosun continued to push, curse, and whip sailors into shape. Green turned his attention upward to see what damage the sails had taken and noticed a slight movement just below the crow's nest.

"Mr. Adams," said Green, and once he caught the young midshipman's attention, he beckoned him to come nearer. "Come with me into the rigging and help me clear some of this debris."

"Aye, sir," answered Adams. "May I add congratulations on your promotion, sir." The midshipman smiled but in his eyes Green could see the sadness of his comrades' deaths.

"Thank you, Mr. Adams. Pray let us get to work now."

They slowly made their way up the rigging, moving bits of sea weed and debris. Disturbingly, on the way up, they found the name plate of the _Victory_, Admiral Nelson's ship. Adams' face paled as Green ordered him to give the name plate to the bosun, but he obeyed. Finally, Green reached the place where he had seen the movement earlier. He discovered a man with sea bleached hair, broad shoulders, and a stern look; though the man was only half-conscious. He could tell this man was a sailor, a lieutenant or perhaps a captain of one of the other ships; but the man's bottle-green pants told Green the man was an aviator.

When he had fully uncovered the man, he said, "Sir, are you alright…sir?"

The man opened his foggy eyes and mumbled, "Who…who are you…and where am I?" He tried to lean forward, but his head started to throb.

"I am Acting Captain Green and you are aboard the _Temeraire_," answered Green. Then he added, "We are at the mouth of the Thames. Might I ask who you are, sir?"

The man blinked and then answered, "I am Captain William Laurence of the _Reliant_." Then the man frowned and looked himself over and asked, "What has happened to my coat, and how did I come to be here?"

Green blinked and stared at Laurence until Laurence stared back harshly. "Sir, the _Reliant_ is still in dry-dock after the battle at Trafalgar. She is only a light frigate and several ships, including the _Temeraire_, were repaired before her," said Green, confused at the man's introduction.

"What the devil are you talking about? I was just on the _Reliant_ yesterday," said Laurence, his well refined manners falling away. "We had just weathered a storm and were in pursuit of a French frigate. We were going to intercept her today." A look of confusion swept across his face, but not fear, definitely not fear.

Suddenly Green knew what had happened. "Sir," he asked, "what year is it?"

Laurence looked at him and replied without doubt, "It is 1805, January 1805 to be exact."

Green sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and said flatly, "Sir, it _is_ 1808. _March_ 1808. I do not know how you came to be here, but I believe we should get you to the ship's doctor."


	2. The Dream

******(This is a slightly edited version due to issues in the timeline, feel free to skip to the "!!!" if you do not wish to reread the entire chapter)**

**The Dream**

"How is Lord Allendale? I hope we have found him in good health," said Edith Woolvely, setting her tea onto a beautiful redwood table. Also on the table was an equally beautiful Chinese vase.

"The doctor says he is doing as well as can be expected," replied Lady Allendale, setting her tea down across from Edith's and folding her hands into her lap. She was about to inquire about Edith's son's health when suddenly the ground shook, causing the tea cups to rattle. Lady Allendale stood up and begged to be excused. She rushed out the door, ignoring the footmen trying to convince her to stay inside. She walked quickly to the empty paddock. The footmen who were following her were dragging their feet as the large dragon came into view. Temeraire's black hide was unmistakable, but difficult to see at night.

"Hello Lady Allendale," said Temeraire cheerfully, or at least as cheerfully as he could with Laurence missing.

Lady Allendale smiled up at him and said, "Hello to you too, Temeraire," and after a moment asked, "Where is William?"

Temeraire's shoulders hunched and he said low, "I do not know; Wellesley says he is dead, but Admiral Roland says he is alive…" He paused and placed Laurence's coat and sword before Lady Allendale and continued to say, "There was a battle earlier today near the mouth of the Thames. We have pushed Napoleon out of England, but he himself escaped from the battle. While they were fleeing, Lien created a wave with the divine wind and she is very unpleasant and is always trying to hurt Laurence. When I tried to stop the wave, Laurence was swept away by it."

As Temeraire finished his speech, he made a low whining noise. Lady Allendale did not understand most of what Temeraire was talking about, but her face washed over with empathy at the creature's misfortune. "I am sure he is alive, dear. He will turn up somewhere. Pray do not worry."

Temeraire put his head low and hunched down and asked, "May I stay here tonight? With Laurence gone, I am quite lonely and do not know what to do with myself."

Lady Allendale looked at the big black dragon and suddenly realized that beneath the beast façade there was a lonely child inside. She reached out and stroked his soft muzzle and looked into his huge blue eyes. She was proud of her son for teaching this dragon and loving him as though he were the dragon's father.

"You may stay, dear creature," said Lady Allendale after a short pause, "and if, God forbid, William is not found you may stay here as long as you wish."

After a little while, Temeraire asked a little skeptically, "Do you think God can help us?" and Without pausing for an answer he continued, "I remember Laurence trying to read to me from the Bible, but apparently I said something wrong and he stopped trying. But on the way to Africa, he said I did not need to worry because I did not have something called 'original sin'."

"That is good to hear," said Lady Allendale, a smile creeping into existence, "and I am sure God can help us. Just pray to Him for help." After saying this, she turned and started walking back to the manor. The footmen tried to hurry her along and looked shocked that the dragon had not eaten her.

"My Lady," said Temeraire before she had gone more than three steps, "I am afraid I do not know how to pray." Temeraire looked away and at the ground, apparently a little embarrassed at not knowing how to do something most humans learned as small children.

"My dear," said Lady Allendale, ignorant of the fact that Temeraire was instantly reminded of Laurence the moment she uttered those two words, "Simply bow your head and ask."

* * *

**(I hate to interrupt in the middle of the story but I must warn you that the next section is full of analogies and may be difficult to understand. Please read slowly for full comprehension.)**

"Captain, we are nearly in range of the French ship," reported Riley.

Suddenly, Laurence was aware of his surroundings. He was in his cabin aboard the _Reliant_. The light roll of the ship was gently swinging his hammock. He did not want to wake up, but soon the excitement of an upcoming battle forced his eyes open.

"Very good, when we are in range we will fire upon her and close to board. Remind the gun crews not to hit her below the water line," said Laurence after he got up from his hammock. He turned to look out his cabin window to see the French ship, the _Amitie_. It looked like a fine frigate, but her sails were in a sorry shape.

"I will be on deck in a moment, Captain Riley," said Laurence dismissing his Lieutenant.

"Begging your pardon sir, but you have called me Captain," said Riley on the way out of Laurence's cabin. A small gleam came to his eye at the notion of becoming a captain himself."

"Yes I have," replied Laurence, "You are the captain of the _Allegiance_ are you not?" At this Laurence furrowed his eyebrows, a slight pain appearing at the back of his skull.

"As you say, sir," said Riley, finally exiting to the deck, tossing a concerned look towards Laurence on the way.

Laurence sat down behind his desk rubbing his temples, the pain in his head increasing. He called his steward in to help him into his coat, and when he was fully clothed in his bottle-green coat and trousers and his plumed hat, he strolled up to the deck to survey his ship, the _Temeraire_. He looked up at the great black sails flapping in the wind. He walked over to the rail and looked down at the glossy black wood. Laurence loved his ship and his ship loved him back. He directed his gaze to the French ship, the _Lien_. It was nearly identical to the _Temeraire_, yet at the same time it was completely different.

Lieutenant Riley walked over to Laurence, his eyes full of concern as he asked, "Sir, are you feeling well?"

Laurence smiled and turned towards Riley to say cheerfully, "I am perfectly well Mr. Granby. How else could I feel sailing on such a magnificent ship that chose me?" Laurence grimaced in pain and rubbed his temples. The _Temeraire_ was nearing the enemy and the battle was about to begin.

"Fire," said Laurence so quietly that only Riley had heard him.

"Open fire!" shouted Riley, and the battle began.

Laurence calmly paced the length of the deck, rubbing his temples while musket shot and splinters rained around him. Laurence saw a group of young ensigns running to a hatch to grab supplies and Laurence stopped one of them.

"Do not go down there," said Laurence calmly and a split second later the passageway where the boy would have been exploded into splinters as a cannon ball flew through the bulkheads.

"Thank you sir," said Morgan before he scurried off to find something to do. But before he had taken his third step, he fell to the deck with blood streaming from his neck where he had been shot. Laurence shook his head and stepped over the body calmly and continued to pace the deck, until Riley ran up to him panting.

"Sir," gasped Riley, "Permission to board, sir?"

Laurence nodded and calmly said, "Permission granted Granby. We must stop these transports before they reach England."

Riley opened his mouth as if to say something, concern in his eyes, but all he said was, "Yes, sir," and he jumped over to the enemy ship with a dozen men.

The fight was not the same as any other battle Laurence had been in. The men moved in slow motion, but at the same time the battle passed by quickly and Laurence found himself facing the French captain kneeling in the blood and offering Laurence his sword. Laurence ignored the sword and watched as an enormous egg was brought onto the deck. The egg split perfectly down the middle and with a blinding light it disappeared and left a pure black dragon hatchling in its place.

"Temeraire?" whispered Laurence, though he was not sure why.

"Better that he should sink to the bottom of the ocean than be with you!" shouted the French captain as he tackled the hatchling and knocked it and himself over the railing.

"No!" shouted Laurence as he rushed to the rail, only to see the yellow trails of silk from the captain's robe hanging off the side of the ship.

* * *

**!!! (Due to a slight timeline issue I had to revise parts of this section) !!!**

"No," mumbled Laurence "Temeraire, no"

Captain Green stared down at the man in pity. As they had reached the ship doctor, two days earlier, Laurence passed out and minutes later started mumbling in his sleep. It was agreed that Green would take the captain's cabin and Laurence the first lieutenant's. Two days later, in the afternoon, Green had walked into Laurence's cabin to find him mumbling about the _Temeraire_.

"Sir, can you wake up…Sir?" asked Green, shaking Laurence's shoulder gently.

Laurence gasped as he jumped back into reality drenched with cold sweat.

"What a despicably strange dream," said Laurence. After recovering his wits he turned to Green and added, "I have no idea what it was about. I was aboard the Reliant, and then… well I do not understand what was going on for the rest. I knew the names of some crewmen that I have never met."

"Sir, it is likely you met them between the day you woke up on my ship and the day your memory stops. Sir… Laurence, the doctor believes you suffered a blow to the head and that is what has caused your memory loss. I am afraid we do not know if you will get your memories back or not," said Green, and at the end of this speech he felt the need for a glass of port.

"No, thank you captain, but I would rather have some time to myself," said Laurence when Green asked if he would like to join him for a drink. As Green was leaving he noticed Laurence looking at a jagged scar on his left shoulder, apparently it was a new scar from Laurence's perspective.

Captain Green sighed and returned to the deck relieved that Laurence was okay, but he was concerned for Laurence's recent loss. The poor man could have married, had children, or been promoted in the past three years and he may never know. He could partially understand the pain Laurence was feeling, so many wonderful things could be lost to him forever, but on the other hand, ignorance is bliss. It was just as likely that many bad things had happened to Laurence in the past three years, but Green was sure he would rather remember all the bad than forget the good.

"Wing, two points to larboard!" shouted a lookout. Green paused in his brooding and turned his attention to the approaching dragon. It was flying no colors.

"Mr. Young," said Captain Green, and when he saw he had the gun-deck leader's attention he added, "Tell the men to load the guns and bring the pepper guns up to the deck. If that dragon does not fly the British colors, we will have to fire upon it." The Lieutenant nodded and went below decks to carry out Green's orders. Green turned to look out to sea and pondered some more. He wondered at the cruel mistress Fate, and how with one hand it could elevate a third lieutenant to Captain of a ship-of-the-line, and with the other hand reduce a captain to a prisoner of his own mind.


	3. Reunion

**Reunion**

Temeraire woke up the next morning to the sound of flapping wings. He did not wish to wake up, but he was forced to by a nudge and a familiar voice calling his name. The voice was Arkady's and it was telling him to get up.

"What do you want?" asked Temeraire in the Durzagh tongue, his eyes still closed.

"Only to find where you went to, and perhaps a bit of breakfast," replied a voice in English. Definitely not Arkady, the voice was much too high for a dragon.

Temeraire opened his eyes and looked towards the speaker. It was Tharkay, talking to him, but Temeraire was in no mood to be bothered.

"Why do you wish to find me? I will not go back to the Corps until I find Laurence. And…" Temeraire paused in his reply suddenly filled with fear "And if Laurence is dead I will not stay in England for long." Temeraire moaned and wondered what on earth he would do if Laurence were dead. He could not stay in England and go back to the breeding grounds. Worse than the breeding grounds would be France, and if he did go to France, Lien would certainly try to do something nasty to him. He was sure he could recall the way to China, but he was also sure he could not cross the desert without food or water.

"So far we have managed to keep Iskierka at bay by telling her Laurence was wounded, but when this beast found out he decided he must help," answered Tharkay.

"Yes," added Arkady "we ain't gonna let you lose him again."

Temeraire opened his mouth, but held his tongue. He knew what Arkady thought about proper grammar and the rogue dragon was only trying to help him find Laurence. Temeraire turned his attention towards the manor and saw several maids and footmen eavesdropping on his conversation, not as fearful of dragons after several draconic visitations by the aerial corps over the last few years.

Temeraire turned back to Tharkay and said in Chinese, "I am going to try and contact the _Temeraire_, she was the only ship to survive the wave, and hopefully they can help me find Laurence, you can help by keeping Admiral Roland and Wellesley in the dark for a few days."

Arkady scratched his head with a talon, the only word he recognized was _Temeraire_ and hearing Temeraire say his own name was more than a bit strange.

"I was sent to find you and to mollify this beast. I will tell Wellesley you are not rampaging across the countryside and he should be satisfied." After saying this Tharkay did something Temeraire did not expect, he put a reassuring hand on Temeraire's forearm, and bade him good luck, and while leaving it seemed like Tharkay himself was a little surprised at what he had done.

A few hours later, Lady Allendale came to see Temeraire. He had tried to clean himself after his breakfast, but the pond was too shallow and mud went up his nose. He felt a little silly for not learning his lesson the first time he tried to wash himself when he first came to Laurence's home.

"Good morning Temeraire," said Lady Allendale as she saw Temeraire "Oh, you are all over in mud, let me help you wash." When Temeraire suggested that perhaps one of the footmen should wash him instead she simply smiled and said "No, no. Do not fret, I am not so old that I cannon wash you."

"I remember William washing you all those years ago, I cannot believe you have grown even bigger since then," said Lady Allendale while washing Temeraire's nose gently. After a few minutes of washing she finished and dropped down on a nearby stool to rest.

"My Lady," said Temeraire after a few minutes of silence, "I will leave soon to try and find the ship that survived the wave to ask for their help in finding Laurence." Temeraire looked away, fearing she would dislike him leaving so suddenly after her generous hospitality.

"You may come back any time you like Temeraire, I hope you find William safe and hopefully not in too much trouble," replied Lady Allendale without any anger in her voice.

Temeraire smiled and thanked her for her hospitality and leapt into the sky. He orientated himself to the south east, towards where the _Temeraire_ had been two days earlier.

***

Captain Green was staring at the fast approaching dragon. Any ship-of-the-line could hold off a dragon until it ran out of powder, but the French had proved many similar "facts" to be false. All the pepper guns and long guns were nearly loaded, the broadside was also being prepared, in case the dragon tried a low approach. If that dragon came into range it would be blown to pieces.

The dragon was approaching at a moderate pace and would be in range momentarily. Green was about to give the order to fire on the heavy-weight black dragon when he was interrupted by the lookout.

"Wait," cried a lookout, "That's one of our beasts, I remember him from the battle of Dover when I was aboard the _Tristan._"

"Hold your fire!" bellowed Green when he had heard the new information. He wondered what captain was irresponsible enough to approach a ship without flying the flag.

"Sir," said an ensign who ran up to Green, "We have nothing for him to land on."

"I do not believe it matters, they do not seem to mind," said Green as the dragon crashed into the water near the ship, soaking many sailors while doing so. Green walked towards the railing to have a chat with the obviously rude dragon captain.

"What do you mean by this," yelled Green, "flying towards an allied ship without a signal and dropping down next to her and…" Green stopped talking as the dragon's monstrous head came so near that Green's hair fluttered in the dragon's breath. Green swallowed the rest of his words.

"I am Commodore Temeraire of his majesty's Aerial Corps," said the dragon calmly and officially, "I would like to request your aid in finding my captain by…" Temeraire stopped in mid sentence and stared at the man coming up from below decks.

"Commodore?" asked Green, bemused by the dragon's introduction. "And who are you trying to find and why?" But the dragon ignored Green and moved closer to the man who coming from below.

"Laurence?" asked Temeraire guilty as he looked closer at the man.

"Who are you?" asked Laurence, involuntarily taking a step down the ladder and continued "How do you know my name?"

Temeraire jerked his head back and said, "Laurence, you are my captain and my best friend. You were at my hatching and fed me my first meal. We have been to China and Africa. I know you remember me."

As Temeraire recounted his many adventures with Laurence, the Bosun, Mr. Baker, walked up to Green and whispered in his ear, "Sir, I did not realize this before, but I have read about a Captain Laurence who was convicted of treason not too long ago, I assumed he was executed but somehow he must have wound up here."

Green turned back to Baker and said softly, "That is impossible Mr. Baker, certainly this man is not a traitor. I have only known him a few days, but he is definitely not a traitor."

"…and that is how you got the scar on your shoulder Laurence, and Lien has been chasing us across Europe ever since Yongxing died," said Temeraire.

Laurence came up fully on the deck and touched the dragons muzzle and suddenly he was back on the Reliant, stroking Temeraire as a dragonet.

Laurence could remember it all now; Temeraire's hatching, their rigorous training, the trip to china, the Prussian defeats, the disease, the trip to china, the destruction of the African colonies, his treason, the Invasion of England, the wave. He smiled and said "Temeraire" softly.

Temeraire pointed his head to the sky and cried out with joy, he then stuck out his hand for Laurence to climb into when the sound of a flintlock clicking caused everybody to stop moving.

"I cannot allow this traitor to leave," said Baker, pointing his pistol at Laurences head, "We will go below, or I swear I will paint the deck with your brains."

"No!" growled Temeraire, and he tried to think of a way to rescue Laurence, but the ship's spars and rigging would prevent him from rescuing Laurence.

"Baker! Do not do this," shouted Green, "I order you to put down that gun." Green took a step towards Baker, but the man pulled out another pistol and directed it at him.

Baker laughed at Green and said "You have been captain of this ship for three days and you think you can order a man who has served in the Navy for thirty years. No, I believe I am in charge here."

"Mutiny!" yelled Green, "I will not allow you to do this" and he charged towards Baker. A bullet flew past his head moments before he tackled Baker to the ground.

Temeraire turned his attention from the melee to grab Laurence, but the man had jumped into the fight. Another shot rang out and the three men fell limp to the deck. Temeraire roared out and Baker tried to crawl away, but the dragon snatched him up and flew high into the sky.

"Please don't kill me," begged Baker, tears streaming down his face.

"Oh, I shall not kill you," said Temeraire flatly. And he threw the man with all his might towards the open ocean. "It is the ocean that will kill you," yelled Temeraire at the screaming man.

Temeraire started to fly back down to the ship. He was not satisfied by the faint splash Baker made in the distance. He looked down at the Temeraire and wondered if he would be parted with his dearest friend, or if Laurence's death was to be averted once more.


	4. The Third Day

**The Third Day**

_**(Hopefully late is truly better than never)**_

Three days. Three days since the wave. A wave of misfortune, killing sailors and aviators alike and somehow still the ripples of its effect were still killing sailors well after the physical ripples had disappeared in the natural ebb and flow of the tides. Well, misfortune for others, his lot in life had been increased considerably through the tragedy. Fresh third lieutenant to a captain, in a day? No, in a moment. The thought made Green giggle, at least it was supposed to be a giggle. The sound coming from his mouth was a sickening gurgle as blood rushed out of his mouth and stained his shirt and neck cloth.

He felt, rather than heard, some loud noise, along with a rush of movement and maybe even a scream, his ears wouldn't stop ringing. He tried to get up, but felt himself pushed down roughly by the shoulders. He tried to kick his legs, but he felt like he was trying to push them through quicksand. Soon more hands held him down and his neck cloth was torn off roughly and soon after he had a searing pain in his chest.

The ringing in his ears kept getting louder, the world around him kept getting brighter and brighter. The blood had stopped and he was able to mutter something, then everything went white, and there was silence.

x x x

"Three days," rasped Green as his life escaped him. Laurence kept his hands, covered in blood, pressed on the wad of neck cloths over the gaping hole in Green's chest. The blood had stopped gushing from the wound before the improvised bandage had even been applied. There was never any cause to hope

"Laurence!" called Temeraire as he landed next to the ship and sticking his head as close to Laurence as possible without getting tangled in the rigging. "Laurence, are you okay?" He asked, seeing the blood all over his hands and legs.

"I am fine," replied Laurence softly, there was a stinging in his left thigh where the ball had nicked him somehow during the melee. He forced a smile and looked up at Temeraire and said, "Nothing I cant handle."

The ship's surgeon came running across the deck with proper bandages in his arms and stared at Green's still body. Laurence grabbed one of the bandages from the surgeon unceremoniously and wrapped it around his leg. He ignored the surgeons rude stares and stood up, leaning heavily onto his right leg.

"Who is in command now," Laurence asked, knowing how strange the question was coming from an aviator and traitor.

The few midshipman on deck shuffled about and looked around at their peers. One stepped forward and said, "Sir, I think," he stopped as his voice cracked slightly and started over, "Sir I believe I am the most senior officer left."

Laurence doubted if the man was any older than sixteen. His thoughts fumbled around some way being able to lead the ship to port, though with no experienced officers and the damage during the battle it would be his most challenging voyage. Asking these men to follow the orders of a traitor they had never met was an entire issue on its own, even if the poor midshipman knew he had been a navy captain before and appeared to be having the same thoughts.

"Sail to port!" cried one of the lookouts and a few moments later added, "She's flying our colors." She came into hailing range quickly, even for a frigate of forty guns and as she pulled alongside the _Temeraire _he realized how. It was the _Endymion_, the first ship launched of her class and one of the fastest ships in the entire navy. This alone protected her from most of the damage the fleet took during the french crossing of the channel, and again when they closed the channel. One of the few ships of the blockade fleet not in need immediate repairs.

x x x

Captain Thomas Capel was young for his command, but Laurence had heard many good things about the man. The _Endymion_ was part of the diplomatic expedition to the Ottoman empire that was chased out after the murder of ambassador Arbuthnot. Captain Capel was the one who saved most of the rest of the staff including Arbuthnot's wife. She also served before and after that mission with the fleet blockading Brest and had captured many French merchantmen.

"So, Laurence, I scarcely believed the stories about some grand wave that swept up over a dozen ships-of-the-line, but looking at the _Temeraire_ I shudder to imagine the devastation she left behind," said Capel directly not even removing the cigar from his mouth. He had invited Laurence to the _Endymion_ for dinner, along with his first lieutenant Edwin Morris and now afterwords for cigars. Morris, who had either stared or glared at Laurence the entire meal and only spoke when it would have been rude not to, was now boarding the _Temeraire_ to oversee the second and third lieutenants who would be sailing her to dry-dock in Dover.

"Yes," replied Laurence, rubbing the back of his skull where there was still a small lump, he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I heard you were the one who secured those eggs those damn Turks tried to keep from us," said Capel, changing the subject abruptly, "then you carried the things across a bloody war zone with a hundred Prussians strapped to your beast."

Capel, who had been smoking his cigar vigorously and without pause the entire conversation suddenly removed it from his mouth as Temeraire casually added, as if he was part of the conversation the whole time, "It was more like two-hundred, and they were not very pleasant, acting as if I would throw them off."

"Yes, well, that is even more impressive then," said Capel, recovering his composition and his cigar. Once again Capel changed the subject abruptly and asked, "This Green fellow, was he a good man?"

Laurence looked Capel straight in the eyes and replied, "Sir, I only knew him for three days, but I can comfortably say he is one of the best officers I have ever met."

Captain Capel nodded and said, "I will do what I can to have him confirmed in his rank and added to the post list posthumously." He then stared up into the rigging, with his cigar still in his mouth and smoking like a chimney.

After a long pause Laurence stood up, still leaning on his right leg, and said, "Sir, I thank you for your hospitality, it has been more than I expected or deserved, but I think I will be missed if I am gone any longer."

At this Capel returned his gaze to Laurence and stood to throw the stub of his cigar over the side of the ship and with his now free hand shook Laurence's vigorously. "Ha, of course," he said and then he pulled Laurence closer and said in low tones, "my cousin, ensign Sweeny, is an avid follower of yours and would be upset if I didn't ask if he could join your crew, even after," he paused to think of a polite phrasing, "your incident."

The captain then pointed at Laurence's barely half smoked cigar and asked, "do you mind?" and without answer took it and walked away without waiting for an answer to either of his requests, once again smoking like a chimney.

x x x

"I think it would be splendid to have a proper crew again, don't you Laurence?" Temeraire asked, looking sidelong at him clutched in his talons. He was looking philosophically towards the _Temeraire_ and _Endymion_ getting smaller against the blue of the ocean as they flew towards the Dover covert.

"I will not ask any man to serve under a traitor against their will," Laurence said after a short pause, in a manner that Temeraire knew better than to try and change his mind. He straightened his neck out and continued flying south.

Fifteen minutes later they had reached Margate, the small shore batteries the town had fired a salute and a ragged cheer went up from the barracks, they recognized Temeraire from the battle.

"Temeraire," said Laurence just barely loud enough for Temeraire to hear him over the wind. They looked at each other as Temeraire continued flying onwards. After a short pause Laurence continued, "what happened to Roland and the rest of the crew, after the battle."

Temeraire drooped and had to look away to answer, "Roland is dead, Wellesley thinks Demane and Allen are dead too." He felt Laurence go slightly slack in his grasp.

x x x

It was dusk before they arrived in Dover, the sunlight glistening off the small waves like fire. He walked towards the familiar offices of the covert, leaving Temeraire to his meal, a large black pig roasting on a spit, Gong Su found them moments after they had landed. Laurence ignored the looks of surprise and disappointment at his survival and limped up the stairs to the admirals office.

There was an uncomfortable looking ensign outside her door who looked at Laurence with surprise. Laurence knocked on the door and before he could say anything he heard a muffled Roland say' "Give me a moment." After a bit of shuffling she finally called out, "do come in."

She stared at him a moment and without breaking her gaze said sharply, "Thank you, Turner" and the ensign nodded and closed the heavy oak door behind him. She looked down at her desk as Turner's footsteps faded away. She looked a little flush, a bottle of rum stood half empty next to two glasses on her desk. Laurence also noted with empathy that her eyes were slightly bloodshot and puffy.

"Jane, I..." he started, but she had walked around her desk grabbed him with both hands by the collar and kissed him soundly. Laurence stared at her open mouthed and after a moment recalled himself and stammered, "I...I'm, er..." and he was forced to stop again as she slapped him, the force of years of service behind the blow. He barely kept his balance but winced as his left leg responded to the extra weight.

"Oh, but you're wounded," said Roland, as if the last few moments had never happened, "do sit down Laurence." and she pointed him to a chair. He was relieved to take his weight of the leg, but his face stung and his mind was clouded as he tried to puzzle out the last few moments.

As if seeing his confusion Roland said with a slight slur, "I'm sorry Will, I don't blame you, I know it was the French and that damned Lien who killed her, but it made me feel better if that's any excuse."

"At your service," said Laurence, not knowing what to say, still confused.

After a long pause of Roland rolling her glass of rum between her hands for the better part of five minutes. "With Napoleon licking his wounds across the channel I will have the better part of a year to look after Excidium's future with the corps, even as admiral of the air."

"I congratulate you," said Laurence, not understanding the full meaning of her words. Slowly over the course of the next few minutes of staring at each other it slowly dawned on him. "Oh," he said meekly.

x x x

Temeraire bent his head towards Laurence and stuck out his tongue gingerly to smell him. "I see you and Roland are mating again," he said causally.

"Temeraire!" cried Laurence as his faced turned red and he hastily turned to instruct Sipho in his studies.

"Did I say something wrong?" Temeraire asked to his new Ensign, and Capel's young cousin, Sweeny who was currently busy adjusting his new harness. He had arrived three days after Temeraire landed in Dover, and had busied himself asking about China, Africa and Prussia the last week and a half.

"I don't suppose he likes it being pointed out to half the covert," said Sweeny with an accent Temeraire had never heard before. "And," continued Sweeny, confidentially into Temeraire's ear, "I don't see why, its not like we don't all know it, I just got here and I knew."

Temeraire could no longer resist, "Where are you from Sweeny?"

"Belfast," answered Sweeny, and seeing Temeraire's blank look added, "Ireland. Northern Ireland, to be specific."

"I've never been to Ireland," said Temeraire wistfully, Laurence had gone off the speak to Wellesley.

"Its a beautiful place," said Sweeny, putting down his his work and looking to the north west.

Temeraire looked with Sweeny, as if their combined thoughts could transport them there. "Laurence, do you think we might go to Ireland soon," Temeraire asked, seeing him return from his talk with Wellesley.

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Laurence answered, "were to be transported to New South Wales. To Australia."


End file.
